The Road of Fate
by Dathedr
Summary: Prologue rewrite! A young mage-tactician from Etruria travelling across Elibe met with a girl named Lyndis, of the Lorca. They journeyed together to Caelin, but unknown to them, their trip was going to be a journey to save the world...
1. Prologue: Twilight of Destiny

The Road of Fate

Prologue: Twilight of Destiny

Well, this is my first fic, so I appreciate both bad and good comments.. If it's horrible, please just tell me right away. Help me make my fics better, okay guys? No flames please.. Thank you...

I like to play Fire Emblem very much.. I used to play it everyday... It fascinates me to be a tactician, a good one at that... Most of the characters are good looking (I like Eliwood most of them) and I also like dragons, pegasi, etc. Well, hope you all enjoy this fic..

Summary

A young mage-tactician from Etruria traveling across Elibe met with a girl named Lyndis, of the Lorca. They journeyed together to Caelin, determined to save Lyn's grandfather, the Marquess of Caelin, Lord Hausen, from the hands of his evil brother Lord Lundgren. But unknown to them, this journey will lead them to a much bigger quest than they have ever imagined – a quest to save the world..

" " = dialogues

' ' = thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

**Prologue: Twilight of Destiny  
**

One night, in the Sacae plains…

The pale moon shone dimly on the plains. The cool winds of the Sacae plains blew, bringing along the sound of a wolf's howl. The sky was cloudless, and the stars shone brightly, unhindered by anything.

Under the moonlight a young man was sitting alone in the cold night, gazing upon the stars from the top of a big boulder. A cold wind blew towards him, making a mess of his brown hair and forest green mage-cloak, revealing a slim sword and an Elfire tome.

'What a peaceful night,' he thought. 'This place… Sacae, was it? This place would make a good place to live…'

For a long time he thought, and his mind traveled back to his past.

~vVv~

Houses burning. Sounds of clashing metals. Images of the past, people, and experiences… His village burning, his mother and sister dead – pierced by a single spear. All flashed about in the boy's mind. And among all, was a laughter, loud and mocking, that he would remember for eternity.

'Bandits… Murderer…' he thought, and in anger, he clenched his hands and gritted his teeth.

But he didn't maintain his anger for long, as thoughts of his dead friends and family doused it. The anger dissipated and changed into another feeling – sadness.

So great was his sadness that tears started flowing down his eyes. He was crying. Yet he didn't realize it, for he was still deep in his thoughts. He silently cried, until a hand touched his back. Startled, he instinctively turned and drew his sword, eyes searching for a potential killer.

But he spotted no killer, just a young brown haired girl looking at him with concern in her sky-blue eyes. The girl stopped in her tracks, unsure of what to do as to my sudden hostility. Instead, she asked, "Conrad, are you alright? You have been crying for 15 minutes... Is something bothering you? You can talk to me about anything, you know..." her shoulder-long hair was blown by the wind, which made her look even more beautiful.

'WHAT? CRYING? How come- But wow, she's damn cute... WAIT, NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!' the still-shocked boy thought.

"Velina, I…" Conrad was about to tell her everything, when suddenly…

An arrow missed her by an inch.

The girl was so shocked that Conrad needed to drag her to the middle of the camp, shouting "Bandits! It's an attack! We're being attacked!"

Conrad found the leader of their mercenary group near the campfire. He reported the attack to the heavily-armored man, "Sir, the enemy is attacking! What should we do? We await your orders…"

The general thought silently for a second, and then said, "Get out of here.."

"But- we can fight, and we're not cowards...", Velina said, having recovered from her shock.

"Get out..."

"But-"

"THIS IS AN ORDER! GET OUT!"

And then he explained, "If these bandits have the guts to attack us, it means they are well-prepared and confident they would win. It also means that we might not be able to survive the night... But you two are young, yet talented... Now go..." he said with a deep, sad eye.

They had no choice, so they ran back to their tents, to take what small rations they had for their escape. Then, they met in the back of the camp. Conrad saw a small forest nearby. He knew that it would make a good hiding place.

But suddenly he heard some shouts. The bandits had, apparently, noticed them, and two of them were already running towards them. The young mage said to his companion, "Go first. I'll catch up with you later."

Velina nodded, and in a few seconds, she had disappeared within the trees. After ensuring that she wasn't followed, Conrad held out his tome, and was about to chant a spell. But he realized that the bandits were already too near, so instead, he just muttered a single word: "Elfire…"

A huge ball of flame sprouted from his hand, and slammed right onto the ground in which his pursuers were on. In less than a second, the fireball turned into a large pillar of flame which engulfed the two brigands. Their screams were covered by the roaring sound of fire and clashes of metal.

Then suddenly, Conrad felt a strange shaped sword slash across his back. He turned back despite the pain, and incinerated the mercenary who had attacked him from behind. He knew more bandits were coming, and so started running.

He dropped all of his items, except for a vulnerary and the Elfire tome, to ease his running away. But Conrad knew that it wasn't safe if he followed Velina to the woods, in case someone followed him. So the mage ran to a different direction, running far away from the woods and the camp. As he was running, Conrad was sure that he heard a laughter – the same laughter of his family's murderer.

He lost direction after a while, stopping in the middle of a plain. There, his wound and exhaustion finally took over, his vision turned black, and Conrad, the young mage of Etruria, collapsed on a plain in the middle of nowhere.

~Chapter End~

So, how was it? Terrible? Horrible? Well, I'm sorry if any of you thought it is.. But help me make it better, okay?

Actually, I wanted to use the TacticianXLyn pairing, but... It turns out to be the tacticianXoc one.. ^^

Information:

Conrad belongs to the mage class, while Velina is a mind breaker (custom class).

Mind Breaker

Info: Specializes in killing other spellcasters. Uses Mindpower tomes & Anti-magic swords. Promotes into a Seal Master (able to use staves).

And now.. Please Review...


	2. Chapter 1: the Plains of Beginning

Chapter 1: The Plains of Beginning

By Dathedr

Here I am again, with the first chapter (as the one before is just a prologue)... For those who have reviewed, or at least read the prologue, thank you very much. Please keep reading, and help me make this better and better..

I know there are already a LOT of tactician fics, so I'll be sure to use some original ideas...Well, anyways, here's the first chapter.. Hope you enjoy it..

" "= dialogues

' '= thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

**Chapter 1: The Plains of Beginning**

I saw my village burning. People screaming, sounds of metal.. My family slain, my mother and sister skewered on a spear, bandits killing everyone, they tore my father apart.. Then suddenly I saw my companions, my fellow mercenaries, in the burning camp, hundreds of bandits storming. They fought greatly, but one by one, the bandits slayed them, our leader, my best friends.. I swinged my sword, slashing some of the bandits. More of them came. I took my Elfire tome and chanted an incantation, "Elements of the world, I summon thee... Serve your master, and bring doom to my enemies! Elfire!" a great pillar of flame was formed, burning them with an unbearable heat. But, even more came, and after a long fighting, one of them drove a blade into my stomach.. But, instead of pain, I heard a girl saying, "Are you awake?"

I opened my eyes, and found myself in a strange-looking hut. In front of me was a girl about my age, with green hair and eyes. She is wearing a, uh... 'WHAT, by God's sake, is that? It doesn't seem like ANY dress I have EVER seen in Etruria nor in my journeys to Ilia, Lycia, Bern, even Nabata. But, now that I think of it.. There were quite a lot of clothes with similar styles in Sacae.. So, I guess it's a typical Sacaen clothing.' The dress was blue, and it revealed the girl's legs. She was holding a wooden bowl of some sort in her hands. I thought it was filled with water, or at least kind of fluid. Hmm... Now that I look again, she's kind of cute..

I quickly force the thought out of my mind, 'STOP IT, you damn little bastard! That is NOT what a well-taught mage ought to think about!'

She said, "I found you unconscious on the plains. You were wounded deeply. I have tended it wih a vulnerary, but... It wouldn't recover in a short time. My, I think you won't be able to wield any kind of weapon or casting any spells either. I'm Lyn, of the Lorca, by the way. How about you? What's your name?"

I replied weakly, "My name's Conrad, I came from Etruria. Thanks for saving me, though.."

'Wait. Did she mention something about mending? The wound was on my back, and it was ery deep, so... In order to tend the wound, she had to...'

I looked at my body, and I realized that I was right. I was shirtless, and I saw a white clothing aross my body.. I blushed a little. But... That was no problem though... She was forced to do it, I'm sure that she wouldn't want to take off my shirt unnecessarily either...

She must have noticed my discomfort, because she stammered, "I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it off.. I had to do it, o-or you'll die.. Forgive me.. This is your robe and shirt, I repaired them last night... Oh, and your equipments, too.." she looked so sorry and panicked that I didn't hesitate for even a second to forgive her.

~Lyn's POV~

'Is he mad at me? No way, I saved his life.. But.. His pride might be injured.. However, I have to stay calm.' and I heard the man speaking something. But I was still deep in my thoughts. 'Conrad, was it? It's a strange name to me, but.. I guess it's usual for them to have names like that in Etruria.. Hmm... still, it's a good name..'

I was shocked when Conrad touched me, saying, "Is something wrong? I said it was OK, I'm not mad at ya.. Y' did that in order to keep me alive.. There's nothing to be mad about." He said cheerfully.

I wanted to drive the conversation into a different topic, so I asked him, "What brings an Etrurian like you to the Plains of Sacae? Would you share your story with me?"

I noticed that on my question his face darkened, he (surprisingly) seemed unspirited... He looked hesitant for a moment, so I thought, 'Just like me, he might have a dark past.. Now, his face shows that he was going to tell me his past.. Why would he trust me with his secrets in just a few minutes since we met? Well, maybe because I saved his life... I know that many people, especially from countries like Lycia and Etruria, despised we Sacaen nomads, believing we're dumb barbarians who can't read nor wrote.. But, this guy's not like that, and I appreciate it very much..' He had just opened his mouth when suddenly, I heard a strange sound outside.

~Conrad's POV~

I was going to tell her her everything when she suddenly said, "Hmm? What's that noise? I'll check outside.. Conrad, wait here for a minute."

Then she left the hut, leaving me to take a better look of her house. 'This is a typical round hut, and it seemed like a normal girl's room (yes, the hut was very small, just a bit bigger than any kind of Etrurian typical bedrooms) except for.. Wow, she has a pretty dmn good sword! Her life must be a hard one, considering that girls don't usually like this tools.. Weapons, to be exact...'

I didn't have any time to examine the house anymore as she ran panickedly inside, and she grabbed her sword. "What's happening here?" I asked, being puzzled by the sudden ruckus.

"Bandits! They came down from the Bern Mountains. They must be planning on raiding nearby villages.. I-I have to stop them!" she exclaimed with a very, very determined look that made me offer my assistance in a, uh... Less than a second.

Instead of receiving it instantly, she only raised one brow, saying "Can you wield a weapon in that condition? With that kind of wound, even the srongest warriors would think twice to engage in a battle.. You wouldn't be able to even cast ANY spell from that tome of yours. At least, not for now.."

I stayed ilent, knowing that she wasn't insulting me, she was just... concerned, somehow, to a stranger she had just met less than an hour ago. Strange. But, however, I had to admit that she was right.

"Well, you're right, I might even be an obstacle in the fight.. Still, I'm also a tactician, y' know... I can help you with my advices, right?" I replied, because I HATE to be left behind by anybody (and the grim thoughts about how useless I was that comes along). And also, the word 'bandits' had awakened my insatiable lust for revenge.. 'My friends, family, and comrades... All were slain by those heartless men. No, not men.. They're even worse than beasts, they're a blasphemy, sacrilege to nature and to the God! I don't think even St. Elimine herself would show mercy to those.. maggots.'

She definitely was shocked with my horrible expression, but she managed to keep her self-control, and just said, "Very well. We'll go together!"

~vVv~

Outside the house..

I saw just two bandits. 'What, are they idiots? What CAN possibly they do against any village? Yeah, i remembered father said something about that..'

~flashback~

A neighboring village had just been slaughtered by a poorly armed group of bandits. To my surprise, there were only FIVE bandits... How could they possibly beat 50 or more villagers with no casualties?

I wondered about it for some time, then, being unable to find an answer, I asked my father. Smiling grimly, he said, "That's a good question. Here, let me explain. Common villagers are not used to any military sight, 'cause they are not trained in any ways of war, right? For them, even a very poorly armed, not to mention untrained, small force of bandits is very frightening. Just looking at them could make a whole village flee in horror. Do ya understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, father.."

~end of flashback~

I told Lyn, "Hmph. These guys sure have some raiding experience, considering that they have the guts to raid with just two men. They might cause us some trouble. Watch out for the bigger one, he looks tough."

"Hmm... Maybe. But I'm quite confident with my skills. I'll finish that one first", pointing at the supposedly lower rank bandit. Then she dashed to the bandit (wow, she's fast). Although the bandit noticed her approach, he was too late to block Lyn's sword. The next second, he was covered in blood, as Lyn's sword gave him a very dangerous wound. All of us knew that he would die in a few seconds. But surprisingly, the bandit fell into a wild rage. With his last breath, he charged at Lyn, who dodged, though it was not a full success, the bandit's axe made a nasty wound on her sword arm, before she finished him.

"Victory!", she said with a grin. "But I've been injured, and my hand can't take my vulnerary in this condition. Conrad, please get me one, okay? It's in my satchel.."

So I took her the vulnerary, and tended her wound, and she let out a noise showing her pain. I'm not surprised.. A vulnerary stings the wound it tends for a second or two.

The next moment, she said, "Thank you.. I'm better now.. Let's strike at the leader! He's in the front of the ger over there.."

"Err.. pardon me, but.. What is a ger?" I asked her, since I don't know what a ger is supposed to mean (it's a Sacaen word).

And as she ran away again, I mumbled to myself, 'it doesn't seem like she is a girl who was wounded here just now.'

She ran towards the bandit leader with full speed. A few steps from him, she immediately jumped and swinged her sword, aiming at the bandit's head. But unfortunately, the bandit was quick enough to block the dangerous attack, and he even managed to toss Lyn a few feet back. She was surprised, and so was I. 'That was damn quick for a mere axe-wielding bandit! He DOES have some battle experience, afer all.. This is going to be a bit tough. I secretly brandished my Elfire tome in case something bad unexpectedly happened. 'Though using it, even once, would drain my entire strength', I thought.

Then, I saw Lyn striking with BOTH full force and speed, and this time, she left a wound on the bandit's body. But before she managed to step back, the bandit (again, with a surprising speed) charged at her, and he managed to score an even dangerous wound.

Lyn leaped back and said, "Whew.. He's very tough... I'll do my best in this last stike.. If I fall, I want you to flee. You have to escape!"

"No! I'm not a coward, and I an fight, too!" I objected.

She replied, "You're badly wounded! Even a bit fighting would make you collapse out of exhaustion. He's coming, by the way.. Wish me luck."

The bandit threw a mocking look at us, saying, "Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?"

'Disgusting,' I spoke to myself. 'This bandit surely thinks too high of himself. What's with the strange title? I mean, I agree that he's a beast, but... I don'tthink he's geat enough to get ANY titles.. Except the Fool, maybe.. Batta the Fool.. Yes, that surely suits him.

A second after, Lyn greatly impressed my... She moved even faster than she ever did, so fast that I could only see her as a flash of blue. The bandit was even more shocked than I was. He obviously hadn't expected his badly-wounded foe could still run that fast, I'd wager.

He tried to block the attack, but it was futile. I saw Lyn slashed him so quickly twice, and she stopped behind the bandit, her sword shines under the bright Sacaen Sun. The bandit said his last words, "What? How... how did you-" before he fell on his knees, and fell dead to the ground.

Then, Lyn walked towards the hut which Batta the Beast was guarding, and checked inside. In a few minutes, she came out again, and told me, "Good job, Conrad! Let's go home.."

'Ahh... It was so tiring today.. Now I think I'll need a good night's sleep, as the sky is almost dark already,' I thought. I went inside Lyn's house, and after saying good night, I lay on a carpet and fell asleep in a few second.

~the next morning~

I heard birds chirping happily.. I was enjoying their soundss with my eyes closed, when a familiar voice disured me..

"Good morning, Conrad!" It was Lyn. "Are you awake yet?"

"Ünh.. Yes, I am.. I had a good sleep tonight.." *yawning*

"Haha.. that fight yesterday must've made you incredibly tired."

"Yep, I guess so.." I replied, massaging my own back.

"Hmm.. By the way, I want to talk to you about something. A request.."

"Okay.. go right ahead.." I was a bit puzzled.

"You have some experience in the ways of war, I can see. Would you allow me to travel with you?"

BANG. It hit me on the head. 'What? We've only known each other for a day, and now.. She wants to travel with me? What would her parents think? They might think I'm a scoundrel or something..'

"Well.. Do your parents allow you?"

"Wha-? You want me to... get permission from my parents?" She was shocked, and a second after, her face darkened. "My mother and father.. died six months ago. Well, you know.. I'm the last of my tribe." at this point, tears began forming in her eyes. "Bandits attacked at night, and... they- they killed so many people. The tribe was scattered. My father was our chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people. But no one would follow me, because I was so young, and I 'm a woman. They were so old-fashioned. If only.." *sniffles* "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long.."

"No, Lyn.. It's me who have to apologize.. I'm sorry because I made you remember those painful memories.. I know how it feels to have my family slaughtered. Be strong, Lyn.." I replied.

She thought for a moment, and then she said"Yes.. You're right. I will shed no more tears."

I gave her some time to calm down. After a minute, her expression was normal again.

"Thank you. I'm better now." She thanked me.

"Conrad.. I want—no... I MUST become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death!" she said with an eye full of determination. It was even like her eyes was burning with so many emotions- anger, determination (of course), excitement, eagerness, and surprisingly, lust.

She continued, "Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here, doing nothing. Tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!"

Seeing that she was that determined, I had no other choice but to agree. She was truly, truly happy.

"You will? That's wonderful! Thank you! Oh, Conrad... Thank you very much! We can improve a lot if we work together, I know it. We can do it! Right?"

"Yes.. I'm sure about that."

"Great! Let's start our journey tomorrow... Our first destination is Bulgar!"

Ökay.. Let's get prepared!" and we packed our supplies, preparing for the journey the next day.

~Chapter End~

A/N: Actually, Lyn wears a kind of nomadic Mongolian dress, but of course, in Elibe they don't know any about Mongols, so.. I explained it as a typical Sacaen dress.

Well... Finally, the first chapter... I've been wondering if I used too much of the original script... So, if any of you think I did, please tell me right away...

Anyways... Please review.. Both compliments and critics are appreciated, but.. No flames please..


	3. Chapter 2: The Quest Revealed

Chapter 2: The Quest Revealed

Hello, my good readers.. Here's the second chapter. Thanks for those who have reviewed, and I would like to answer some reviews..

SunLord89: I have also thought about that for some time, since Conrad can use both anima magic and sword, and I know that there aren't that kind of class in FE:The Blazing Sword. Well, actually, he's more likely a mage, considering his not-too-good (poor) sword skills. But, as the journey continues, he will hone his sword skills too, and later in the story, sometimes he will be forced to fight using a sword.

Enilas: Ow.. I'm sorry. I didn't know which to use (first or third person), so.. yeah. I'll try to change my writing style, though. By the way, I agree that if the tactician is too capable of fighting it would be no fun, so I made Conrad's wound in order to prevent him from fighting until veeery late in the story, perhaps just one or two occasions in Lyn's campaign (I dont know if I will use Eliwood's or not). But, I will not dump this fic yet, because it can be a very good training ground.. Thanks for reviewing.

And here's the chapter.. As usual, hope you enjoy it..

" "= dialogues

' '= thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

**Chapter 2: ****The Quest Revealed**

The sun shone bright over the Sacae plains, giving warmth and comfort to every single creature in Elibe. The red walls of Bulgar reflects the sunlight, making it even more wonderful. Many people walking on the streets, their raiments as colourful as their nationalities, as most of them were foreigners. Three Bernese soldiers came out from an armory, enjoying the beauty of their brand-new weapons. One carried a steel lance, shining under the light of the bright Sacaen Sun. The other two had beautifully red-painted swords and shields. Across the street, there was an Etrurian sage examining a pile of Fire tomes. Nearby was a strange commotion, where two knights of Lycia were wrestling. One had a blood-red armor, while the other was clad in green. Apparently, the green knight was trying to brag to a group of pegasus knights from Ilia, while the red one fruitlessly tried to drag his companion towards more serious matters.

Yep. This is the commercial center of Sacae, Bulgar – it is also the biggest city in Sacae. It's not as amazing or elegant as Aquleia, or as strong as Ostia, but.. This city had its own beauty. People chatting happily, merchants selling things.. This city shows how the world would be without war. Bulgar hadn't experienced a war since it was built, and that was nearly a millenium ago.

Among all those was an amazed green-cloaked youth. He was observing everything around him with his bright blue eyes. His mage-cloak was stained by dusts, but it was still very elegant and delicate. He was apparently looking for someone. He moved his sight quickly from one man to another, the looks on his face became more desperated with every second.

He showed a sign of relief as a girl shouted from the other edge of the road.

'Conrad! Over here!" she shouted towards the youth.

Conrad quickly slipped within the crowd, moving fast towards the girl. "I'm here, Lyn!" he replied once he was in front of her.

Lyn smiled and said, "Conrad, this is Bulgar, the biggest city in all of Sacae! We should purchase supplies for our journey.'

Conrad nodded, and walked along with Lyn towards the market. There, they bought some provisions, but not too much, as Lyn said, "We can always hunt. There's no need to waste our money, right Conrad?" The brown-haired youth agreed silently and so they bought some fruits, bread, and a decent-looking bow. Lyn said that she couldn't use it in battle, as she's not very skilled with it, but it should be enough for hunting.

A moment later they came out from the armory where they bought the bow. Conrad was enjoying his new sword (just to intimidate enemies, though, since he couldn't use it while bearing such wound of his) and they was heading towards the city gates when someone shouted, apparently to Lyn, "Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!" The pair had a silent conversation, and their pace quickened. But it was too late. A hand touched Lyn's shoulder, forcing her to look back. Conrad also looked back, an a second later his eyes were filled wih recognition.

It was the green Lycian knight from before.

He said to Lyn, "Wait, O beautious one! Would you not favor me with your name? O better yet, your company?"

'Shit. A womanizer.' Conrad thought silently. He was somehow – glaring at the knight with such intense anger in his eyes that the knight shivered, sweats sliding down his face, and he (somehow) looked ready to faint. A moment later, Conrad's glare faded, as Lyn spoke to the knight.

"Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?" she said silently. But there was something in her eyes, a cold fire, which seemed like a silent threat. But, that knight didn't seem to noice this, because he just went on.

"Ha! I thought you'd never ask! I am a Lycian knight. I hail from the Caelin canton, home to men of passion and fire! Behold, I am Sain the Green Lance of Caelin!"

This knight sure knows how to brag, but.. Conrad and Lyn were not impressed at all.

"Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues'?" Lyn replied sarcastically, expecting the knight to go away angrily. After all, who could stand silent while his homeland was being insulted?

To her surprise, Sain said, "Oooh... You're even lovely when you're cruel."

'Is he dumb or something?' both Lyn and Conrad thought at the same time.

"Let's go, Conrad. I've nothing more to say," Lyn said, dragging Conrad away from the green knight. The knight looked very, very disappointed.

"Wait! Please.." his words was lost in the sounds of the crowd.

As the pair looked back, they saw his companion came and slapped Sain.

"Sain! Hold your tongue!" he shouted. Surprisingly, his voice could be heard over the distance. Then they had a conversation and Lyn and Conrad lost sight of them as the pair were nearing the town gates. But suddenly..

"Ouch!" Lyn hit something hairy and... warm. As Lyn looked up, she saw two horses. On their saddles were shone the crest of the Lycian League. It didn't take long for Lyn and Conrad to realize whose horse it is.

"Uh. These are THEIR horses, right?" Lyn asked.

"Well, if you mean those knights, I guess so." Conrad replied lazily.

"So.. What're we gonna do? I don't like the idea to go back to those unmannered knights.."

"Hm.. I agree. But it's worth a try. After all, the red knight seems quite honorable and well-mannered."

Lyn agreed and so they went back to find the knights. It didn't took long, as the knights were still having arguments in the exact same place as before.

Lyn called them and said, "Excuse me! You're blocking the road. If you would be so kind as to move your horses..."

Before the green knight (Sain, was it?) could say anything, the red knight immediately apologized, "Of course.. My apologies."

Lyn seemed quite delighted with his manners, as she replied, "Thank you. You, at least, seems honorable enough."

Then, the knights moved their horses out of the way. But, when Lyn was leaving, the red knight took a good look on Lyn's face and hurriedly said, "Hm? Pardon me, but... I feel we've met before."

"I beg your pardon?" Lyn replied cautiously.

The red knight was about to answer when his friend interrupted, "Hey! No fair, Kent! I saw her first!"

Lyn fumed, while the red knight glared at his companion. "Tsk! It seems there are no decent men among Lycia's knights! Let's go, Conrad! I've run out of patience!"

The red knight desperately said, "Wait, please! It's not like that.." but Conrad and Lyn had already gone out of sight.

Kent thought, 'Argh, she left angrily. It's a total failure. If not for Sain.. Yeah, I told him that we still had a mission, but HOW COULD HE THOUGHT THAT I AM JUST LIKE HIM? Hmph.. Calm down, calm down, Kent..'

*Kent sighs*

"Sain, you lout!" he blasted.

Sain had a curious expression. As usual, he replied lightly, "Huh? Not like that? I thought you were..." but Kent cut him off.

"I-AM-NOT-YOU!" Kent said angrily.

A second later, Kent already calmed down, and he told Sain, "Come, we must follow her. I suspect she might be..."

"Be what? She's our mission? You're joking! You can't be serious!" Sain replied. "Wait!" he shouted, as Kent was already riding his horse towards the city gates.

~Outside the city~

Lyn dragged Conrad along the road. "Run!"she said to him. "We're being pursued! Could it be those knights from town? No... It's not them. These men are out for blood!" she said, as suddenly a bandit stood in front of them.

"Heh heh hehhh... Aren't you the pretty one!" the bandit said. "Your name is Lyndis, is it not?"

Lyn looked very shocked at the mention of the name 'Lyndis'.

She stammered, "What – What did you call me? Who are you?"

The bandit ignored her, and he was apparently talking to himself. "such a waste. An absolute waste. The things I'll do for gold..." and he said again, "Ah, well. Time to die, darlin'! C'mon out, boys!"

A group of bandits (apparently they hid in the bushes nearby) came out and surrounded them. There were quite many of them. Lyn and Conrad was desperated, as they realized that they couldn't defeat so much bandits.

"Oh, no! There are more than I can handle.." Lyn said. "But I'll not give up!"

Lyn was going to attack the bandits when suddenly a voice called them from the city's direction. "Hey! There she is!"

"Huh?" The bandit leader was surprised, and so was Lyn, who said at the same time, "What?"

A second later, two mounted knights charged at the bandits, forcing them to fall back. They stopped near Lyn, and one of them said, "Whew.. Finally caught up.." Conrad recognized them as the Lycian knights they met before. Nearby, the bandits were preparing to attack again.

"Hold! You there! What is your business?" one of them, apparently the green one, shouted. "Such numbers against a girl? Cowards, every one of you!"

'Wow. It seems that even this knight has a sense of honor too..' Conrad thought.

"You! You're from.." Lyn said. She was still fuming from the incident before.

"We can discuss that later." The red one said. "It appears this ruffians mean to do you harm. If it's a fight they want, let them look to me!"

*his red armor shines, reflecting the sunlight*

"Stand back! I'll take care of this!" the green knight said.

"No! This is MY fight! Stay out of my way!" Lyn insisted.

"Well, I can't just stand here and do nothing..."

Suddenly, a light bulb formed on the red knight's head. "I have a solution. You there (sorry, I don't know your name), command us." He said to Conrad. "I am Kent, a knight of Lycia,. My companion is Sain. We will follow your orders in this battle. Is this acceptable, milady?" he asked Lyn.

"Yes, it is. Conrad and I will lead!" she replied. "Let's go!"

The bandits had already set their positions throughout the plains. Conrad examined them, and said, "Hmm.. I think I know how to win this battle."

But, Sain was too impatient. He didn't wait Conrad's orders and rushed towards the nearest bandit, charging with his lance. But the bandit evaded his charge almost effortlessly, and stroke back, leaving a wound. Sain retreated, and said to Kent, "Whoa! I missed!"

Kent was very mad. "Sain! Why aren't you using your sword?"

Sain replied, "A lance is more heroic. A knight should look heroic, don't ya think?" Kent just stared at him with an I-know-you're-lying look, and so, a second later Sain nervously said, "Truth be told, I... forgot to buy a sword.

"You're hopeless." Kent scolded him. Ïf you don't take fighting more seiously, you're going to find yourself on the end of a blade! How could you forgot to buy a sword? You're just too busy dallying with the ladies, I suppose. Here, take my spare blade, and use it to attack next time!" Kent threw his extra sword to Sain.

"Are you sure? My thanks, Kent!" Sain said happily, catching the sword. And with that, he went away.

Kent mumbles, "You're almost more trouble than you're worth. Almost."

Then he said to Conrad, "I am ready to fight! Command me as you will."

Conrad thought for a second, and then he said, "Charge at that bandit! Use your sword." And he told Lyn, "Kent's attacks will distract the bandit, and maybe even hurt him. Then, it's your chance to finish him." Kent and Lyn went to do their assignments.

After Lyn finished the bandit, another one approaches from the woods in the south. Conrad ordered Sain to attack the bandit with his sword. But unfortunately the bandit was hiding in the woods, causing Sain had a hard time to strike him. Sain's strokes were evaded quite easily, as the branches made it difficult to strike. Then, the bandit launched a strong counter-attack, but fortunately, Sain dodged just in time. A second later the axe stroke a tree (Sain was standing in front of it a second before), and with a terrifying sound, the tree fell down.

Conrad said to Lyn, "It seems that those two are more than enough to take care of the bandit. Let's take out the bandit approaching from the north."

"Hmm..." Lyn observed their surroundings, and replied, "Okay. Let's go to those woods, the enemy will be having a hard time to strike at us."

"Yeah. Let's go!" Conrad said.

Once again, Sain retreated (shouting "Gah!"), and Kent said to him (he was surprisingly concerned), "Sain! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... I was able to dodge in time." Sain replied, taking a deep breath. "But, I can't believe he evaded my sword stroke so easily. How come?"

Kent, being a keen observer as he was, answered, "Look closely. The enemy is hidden in the woods. The branches make it difficult to attack, don't they?"

"You're right. I was so focused on attacking.. I didn't see." Sain replied as he realized that Kent was true.

Kent scolded him (again), "Your lack of attention may someday cost your life!"

"Fine! I understand already! Let it go, Kent!" Sain said, laughing.

"If you truly understand, then act like it!" Kent replied. Then he rode off, as it was his turn to attack.

Then, it was Sain's turn to mumble, "Kent worries too much. ...He's going to grow old before his time." He had no more time to think, because Conrad ordered him to help Kent.

Kent rode carefully into the woods to meet the enemy. Being more skilled than Sain was, he managed to score a hit against the brigand, while the brigand's counterattack missed due to the branches. Then, Sain charged upon the bandit to finish him. The bandit didn't expect that, and so he was slain. But as he fell, his axe coincidentally slashed Sain's leg, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Next time, do it more carefully!" Conrad said from afar, while Lyn's brows wrinkled.

"You... your name is Sain, right?" Lyn shouted, as her normal voice couldn't be heard from such distance.

"Yes! Sain, the gallant man of Caelin! That's me!"

"If you insist... Why have you not healed yourself?"

"Huh..? Hey! I've been injured? What a cad I am! To wrikle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me..." he replied, his womanizer side came out suddenly.

Lyn was clearly disgusted. "Uh.. I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but.. It looks like you're fine. So, never you mind..." and she turned her back at Sain.

"No, wait! I'll take it! Please! I'll take it!" Sain begged, and he rode towards Lyn.

Meanwhile, both Lyn and Conrad were laughing out loud due to Sain's behavior. They were laughing so hard that they even didn't realize that Sain was riding towards them. Sain puzzledly asked, "Why are you two laughing? There wasn't anything funny, was it?"

Unfortunately, the sight of a puzzled Sain made them laugh even louder than before. After a minute, they managed to regain their self-control. Smiling, Lyn gave Sain the vulnerary she promised, and Sain put some of those... stinking liquid on his wound. A moment later, we all saw in amazement how his skin and muscles reformed and healed. It was a minor wound, so the vulnerary was able to take care of it within seconds. After he was healed, Sain rode with Kent towards a bridge, upon which a bandit was standing.

After Sain had left, Lyn and Conrad looked around, searching for a bandit they knew was there.

"Look, there he is in the bushes. There, you see?" Conrad whispered to Lyn. Lyn nodded, and she drew her sword from its scabbard. The bandit, apparently realized that he was found, charged in a sudden onslaught. Due to her incredible reflexes, Lyn was able to block the bandit's attack, but the blow was so powerful that it threw Lyn six feet away. The bandit charged again to finish Lyn, but he was stopped by a knight in shining red armor.

Kent saw that Lyn was tossed away by a blow, and her enemy was going to kill her. 'Dear Elimine, where on earth is Conrad?' he thought. He didn't knew that Conrad was hiding near Lyn, preparing to cast a spell which might take his life (due to his current condition, he couldn't cast a spell as strong as Elfire without depleting his entire energy, which causes death).

Kent immediately made his decision and rode towards Lyn as fast as he could, leaving Sain alone to deal with the bandit on the bridge. The bandit was only two feets away from Lyn when Kent managed to stop him.

The bandit rushed in a reckless attack again, but unfortunately, he was no match for the knight. Kent easily dodged his stroke and launched a well-thought counter attack. He swinged his sword with a strange but powerful technique, and the bandit's life ended as Kent did a marvelous feint, which managed to separate the bandit's head from his body.

Kent unmounted helped Lyn to stand. Then, he saw Conrad walking out from the woods, carrying an Elfire tome. Kent ran towards him, and asked calmly, "Why didn't you protect Lyn?" Yes. Calmly. Because he knew that Conrad must had his reasons.

"I was protecting her. You see this tome? I was about to use it, you know.." Conrad answered.

Kent nodded, and, seeing that Sain had taken care of the bandit guarding the southern bridge, he said, "Now, shall we take care of the leader?" Both Lyn and Conrad nodded in agreement. Then, Conrad told Sain & Kent their orders, before running along with Lyn towards the bandit leader.

The bandit leader was standing near the hills. He was apparently talking to himself. When he noticed the four approaching, he ended his mumbling with a curse. "Accursed knights, always tampering in other's affairs." He exclaimed.

A moment later, the two knights charged towards him. They fought him for a long time, but the bandit leader fought so good that Kent and Sain was forced to retreat. As the knights went ack to him, Conrad noticed scratches everywhere on their body. Not far from them, the bandit leader was roaring his triumph. Conrad knew, this battle would be long and fierce. He thought for a while, and then told his plan to Lyn, Kent and Sain. The three nodded, and all of them charged at once.

The bandit leader was laughing in his heart. 'These people will never learn, won't they? Without doubt, I will finish them this time.' Then, he engaged the three in battle.

The battle was, as expected, fierce, but amidst the battle, the bandit leader noticed something. 'Where is the girl? There were three attacking me, but now there are only the two knights. Where is she? Did she flee? Ah... Better finish these two men first." He thought while fighting. And he was right. Lyn was nowhere to be seen. The knights looked more and more desperated with each second passing. The bandit was preparing a final strike which would kill Kent and Sain, but suddenly..

"AAARRGGHH!" he shouted painfully. A katana-shaped sword emerged from his chest. Feeling his death coming, the bandit leader cursed for the last time, "Blast... There was only...supposed to be a lone...girl..." and he fell dead to the ground.

All of the group took a deep breath, and then they realized that they have won. Lyn told Conrad, "That's the last of them! Fantastic work, Conrad!" she said happily. "And now for these knights of Lycia." She said, pointing at Kent and Sain. "You were going to share your story with me?"

"Yes." Kent replied. "We have ventured from Caelin, in Lycia, in seach of someone."

"Lycia... That's the country beyond the mountains in the southwest, isn't it?" asked Lyn.

"Correct." Kent replied. "We've come as messengers to the lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some 19 years ago."

"Madelyn?" Lyn's face was suddenly filled with curiosity at the mention of the name.

"Our lord the marquess of Caelin's only daughter." Kent explained. "He was heartbroken his own daughter would abandon him so. Eventually, the marquess simply declared that he had no daughter."

As Kent stopped to take a breath, Sain continued the story. "And then this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn. It said that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacae plains. The marquess was ecstatic to learn he had a granddaughter of 18 years. I remember the smile on his face when he announced that he'd suddenly become a grandfather. The granddaughter's name is Lyndis. This was also the name of the marquess's wife, who passed away at an early age."

"Lyndis?" Lyn's face was even more filled with expressions, from curiosity to nostalgia.

"That she should bear this name thawed the marquess's heart." Sain continued. "Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. This is why we're here. We didn't know that Lady Madelyn died a few days after sending her letter... We only learned this shortly after we arrived here in Bulgar."

Kent took over the speech. "But we also learned all was not lost. Her daughter yet lives. We heard that she was living alone on the plains..." he thought for a second, and then he told Lyn, "I... I knew it immediately. You are the Lady Lyndis."

"Why would you think that..." Lyn asked.

"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable." Kent answered.

"!" Lyn was shocked to hear this. "What? Did you know my mother?"

Kent told her, "I'm sorry to say I never met her directly, but I saw her portraits in Castle Caelin."

"To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn. But when I was with my parents... When it was just the three of us, I was Lyndis." Lyn said to all of us. "It's all so strange. I was all alone in the world, and now I have a grandfather. Lyndis... I never thought i would hear that name again."

Silent fell for a moment, until, "Wait! That bandit! He called me Lyndis, too!" Lyn shouted.

"What? How could he have-" Kent said.

Sain interrupted him. "...He was a henchman of Lord Lundgren, wasn't he?"

"Lundgren? Who's that?" Lyn asked.

"He's the marquess's younger brother." Kent explained. "Everyone assumed the Lady Madelyn was gone forever. This made Lord Lundgren heir to the marquess's title."

Sain continued, "To be blunt, milady, your existence is an obstacle to your granduncle's ambitions."

"That's- But I have no interest in inheriting any title!" Lyn replied.

Sain sighed, and said, "Unfortunately, you granduncle is not the sort of man to believe that. I believe the attempts on your life will persist."

"What should I do?" replied Lyn, as she knows that the knights were supposedly better than her in political affairs.

The knights thought for a moment. After a while, a light bulb appeared over Kent's head, showing that he got a good idea.

"Accompany us to Caelin," he said. "Continuing on this way is dangerous."

Lyn sighed. "I feel I have little choice. I will go with you."

Then, Kent and Sain went to the river to clean their sword. After the were already at a good distance, Lyn said to Conrad (who was silent along the conversation), "Conrad... I'm sorry. This changes everything. What will you do, Conrad?"

"Well, you had no choice.. There's nothing to apologize about." Conrad said, smiling. "And, since I've decided to accompany you, I want you to decide.."

"What? You... You want me to decide?" Lyn asked. "Of course, your companionship would do much to ease my journey, but..." she stopped for a while. "It's going to be so dangerous.."

Conrad said impatiently, "I have decided to accompany you.. That means I'll go with you anywhere, whatever the risks are, until all of these are finished. So, no more hesitation, I'll come with you." He grinned.

Lyn's face brightened a lot. "You'll come? Are you sure? Thank you!" after a while, she said, "Let me ask once again for your friendship and your aid."

Conrad answered it in no time. "Yes! Of course!" he said. And, smiling, both of them went to prepare the camp, as Sain and Kent were already coming, the beautiful Sacaen sunset as the background.

~End of Chapter

Whew... Finally finished this one... It's a bit longer than the pevious chapters, though.. And also, as some of you may have noticed, I changed my writing style a bit. Please tell me if it's better (or worse).

I'm sorry if I made any mistakes or if I followed the original script to much. And now.. As usual, review please...! ^^


	4. Chapter 3: The Sacred Sword

Chapter 3: The Sacred Sword

Umm... It's me, here again... First, I would like to thank those who have reviewed this story. Thanks for giving your opinions.. I appreciate them very, very much.

Yuuki: Yeah... Sorry 'bout that.. I'll recheck them from now on..

Naryfiel Lilith: Thank you very much for your advices! I've been wondering from the beginning if I used too much of the original script... I'll try to reduce the dialogues. Thanks for review.. ^^

SunLord89: Thanks for your opinion.. I've chosen the 3rd limited one, as it seems to be the best.

For those who read this story, feel free to post your opinions and advices. Yeah.. Anyways, as usual, hope all of you enjoy this chapter..

" " = dialogues

' ' = thoughts

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Fire Emblem.

**Chapter 3: The ****Sacred Sword**

A cold wind blew, racing across the plains.. The starlit sky covered the Plains of Sacae and its sleeping inhabitants, except for some who only wandered at night. From a distance, a wolf howled to the moon, giving creeps to anyone who heard it. A group of stags ran in fear across the plains upon hearing the howl, while an owl was resting on a branch belonging to a tree on a hill. Far away could be seen the silent red-brick walls of Bulgar, which was about a day's ride from the plains (and so it was very small for anyone who saw it from the plain). It was all so tranquil, until..

The peaceful plain was disturbed by the sudden sound of a rooster. Its voice echoed all over the plains, as a signal for the creatures living there to wake up. The dawn was breaking. The lower parts of the sky slowly turned orange, even though the sun had not appeared yet. If someone gazed upon the sky at that time, he would see a very beautiful view.. The orange colour of the morning sky was blending with the dark blue colour of the night sky, an orange dawn in one part, a starry night in the other. The eastern parts of the plains were bright with life, while the western parts were still asleep. It was an art greater than any mankind could create, as God was the designer of this view. It was a rare view that one could only see in the plains of Sacae, as it was the only region with almost no cloudy nights.

And, at last, the majestic sun appeared. At first, it only peeked from between two mountains. But then it crept fastly over the far away mountain with a sudden blaze, its first light shone over an encampment. The top of the tents was soaked with sunrays, making them looked glorious and beautiful. In the middle of the camp four people could be seen, as they were having their breakfast.

There were two knights talking to each other. One was well-protected by a crimson red-coloured armor, while the other wore an emerald green armour similar to his companion. Nearby, their horses could be seen, as well as their swords and lances, shining due to the sunlight. Beside them was a green-haired girl, who had a pair of beautiful eyes. She wore a typical Sacaen clothing, and she carries an elegant katana-shaped sword. She was listening to the two knight's conversation.

Not far from them, a lone guy was sitting. He wore a green mage-cloak, apparently made by a skillful hand. He was embracing his own knees, while his blue eyes gazed to the far away sky.

Conrad looked around the plains. The sun was was already high on the sky now, its ray beamed towards the wet grass plains, causing many rainbow-coloured rays deflected everywhere. 'Ahh.. It's a good day. I like it when it's like this. Hope this view can last much longer.. But, alas, what a shame that it can't.. Haha.' He thought.

'This view.. It's very beautiful..' Then, his face darkened. 'And, speaking of beauty, I still can't forget her. These people are interesting to travel with, but.. Without her, it always seemed that something is missing. Velina..' he thought, imagining the brown-haired girl. 'Is she alive? Did she manage to run away from those bandits? I hope she's alright...'

Many questions swirled in his head, making him oblivious to his surroundings. He then thought about the mysteries of the past. Who were the killer of his family? He always thought that it were bandits, but.. Now he's not so sure. Then again, his father was a great mage, strong enough to be a member of the Etrurian Mage Force. There was no way a bunch of poor-trained bandits could defeat him.. Even a group of shamans might not be able defeat him easily. And, he had his comrades too.. - They were quite skilled, even though his father was still stronger. Hmm.. And that bandit attack a few days ago..

'Ughh.. This wound.. It still hurts.. That must have been an enchanted sword.' He thought, holding his back, where the wound was hurting him. It felt like.. The wound was burning. He gritted his teeth, trying not to moan in pain. Suddenly, a hand touched his back..

~vVv~

The rest of the group were staring at their tactician. He was obviously thinking about something, and his face looked troubled. The three knew that if a tactician was troubled, usually bad things were going to happen.

Lyn took the first act. She walked towards Conrad, and touched his back, asking, "Are you alright?"

He drew his sword almost instantly, pointing its end at Lyn's throat (despite of his poor sword skills). Conrad kept it like that for a second, then he dropped the sword, his face full of pain.

"Unnhh... I'm sorry. I was lost in my thoughts." He apologized. "Ugh. My wound..." He said holding his back. "It burns."

Lyn immediately replied, "Let me check it." Receiving a nod from Conrad, she said, "Open your shirt. I can't see it like this."

He opened his shirt, and the whole group gasped upon the sight. A huge scar was on Conrad's back, flowing from his right shoulder down to his left waist. It seemed that the wound was not fully healed yet, and drops of a yellow-coloured liquid were coming out from it. With such a terrible wound, no normal man could swing any swords, not even the lightest ones, nor can he cast any spells.

Lyn went to a nearby woods. A minute later, she returned with a bunch of leaves. She also took a white fabric. Then, Lyn went back to her companions, and after she put the leaves on Conrad's wound, she bandaged him.

"Better now? Those leaves can slow the bleeding and the decaying. Usually it can even heal the wound, but.. That wound of yours seems to be somehow... special." Lyn explained.

"Yes. I'm sure that it wasn't a normal weapon." Conrad replied.

The other three nodded in agreement. Conrad wore his shirt again, and the four of them separated to pack their things and prepare to leave, as the sun was already high on the sky.

~vVv~

The group was moving southwest, as they were heading towards Lycia. Not long after they left their former camp, the four arrived in a plain surrounded by woods. At this point, Lyn stopped and said, "Conrad, hold on for a moment, and allow me a short detour. There is a sacred sword enshrined in an altar east of here. We Sacaens usually go there before a journey to pray for safety. Look there.." she said, pointing her finger towards the east.

Far away, a great temple could be seen, its majestic towers rose high to the sky, a very amazing view. Its walls were full of relief, not the usual Eliminean carvings, but those of the ancient Sacaen belief. Within them could be seen the carvings showing the horseman Hanon in the Scouring, fighting dragons (which were spitting fire) with the other members of the Eight Divine Generals.

The team were staring with awe, and Sain said, "How quaint!"

Kent also replied, smiling. "The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe. It is good to see that here, at least, ancient customs are still observed."

Conrad sighed. "Yes, that's true." He said in agreement. "Well then, let's go!"

They have just walked a few steps when they saw an elderly lady running towards them. She looked as if she was running from a wild animal or something, so when she was panting before them, Conrad asked, "Excuse me ma'am, is something wrong? Do you need any help?"

Instead of answering, she asked them, "Are you headed to the altar?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is there something bad happening there?" replied Lyn.

"Then you must help us! Bandits... Bandits are trying to steal the Mani Katti!" the lady said.

Conrad clenched his hands, as Lyn's eyes burned with anger. "We'll go there," he exclaimed. "We'll take care of this, ma'am.. Let's move!"

Then Conrad examined the battlefield. Then he asked Lyn, "Where's the entrance to the altar?"

"It's there, beyond those mountains." She replied.

"Hmm... Can you guys fight unmounted?" Conrad asked again, this time to the two Caelin knights. "Because I doubt that your horses would be able to pass the mountains..."

"Unfortunately, no." Answered Kent. "We were trained to fight from horseback, not on foot. And these armors.. They are very heavy, and so we can't move fast without our horses. Under these circumstances, we would be easy prey for those bandits."

Conrad thought for a while. The knights couldn't pass the mountains, so they would not be able to fight.. While Lyn couldn't possibly take out all of the bandits alone, and he still had his wound. In that case, he must find a way to move the knights inside the altar. But it would take too long if the knights were to pull their horses along the mountain path..

'I need to know the terrain better.. But, how..' Conrad was thinking hard when he suddenly got an idea.

"Okay mates, do you see those houses to the south?" Conrad said, gazing upon a group of red-roofed houses. "Let's ask the locals aout the terrain around here... That might help a lot. We'll meet near those woods. Now, go!"

~vVv~

"So, what informations do we have?" Conrad asked his comrades. They had visited the houses, and then he must plan the strategy. Lyn said that the old lady they met earlier told her that a section of the altar's wall was cracked and hadn't been repaired yet, so they might be able to create a new entrance there. Sain and Kent didn't find any useful informations, except for an interesting legend that the Mani Katti was waiting for its rightful owner to appear.

Then, Conrad made a rough map of the area, showing their location, the local houses, the altar, and two fortesses to the north. It wasn't perfect, but it was quite similar to the real situation. Their location was marked by a large V, while the predictions of the enemy positions was shown by X signs. However, somehow there were a larger X positioned near the altar's main entrance.

"Okay, here's the plan... There's little point in rushing towards the main entrance, 'cause the bandits might have a considerable amount of guards there.. It's better to make a new entrance by hitting the cracked wall section, so we'll have the element of surprise. After we have secured the Mani Katti, we'll sweep the bandits outside. They won't be expacting an attack from behind. Catch them off guard, and we will definitely win!" Conrad explained. "Now, let's reach the altar first.. Sain, go to that fort over there, and attract the bandits nearby! Kent, Lyn, we'll stay here, we'll ambush them when they pass. Let's go!" All the members of the team nodded and moved into their positions.

~vVv~

Sain ordered his horse to walk with heavy steps towards one of the fortresses to the north. It was not long before the bandits spotted him, and they (being as dumb as they were) didn't take care to approach stealthily, but instead roared, "Look there, a good prey! Let's have some fun, guys!"

At that time, Conrad noticed that Sain had already reached the fort. It provides a good deal of extra protection and also respite for the knight. Even when the bandits were still quite a distance from him, Sain was already prepared to fight. Then, Conrad saw the bandits passing. He ordered Lyn and Kent to come out from their hiding places, and charge towards the enemy.

The bandits showed a genuine expression of shock (which pleased Conrad very much). A second after, their expressions turned into horror. It was not surprising, because they were in a very, very bad position.

First of all, the bandits were outnumbered. There were Lyn, Sain, and Kent versus the two of them. That made it three versus two, wasn't it? Second, they had weapon disadvantage. Third, the rogues were shocked, and they were caught in a pinch. What a simple, but brilliant, plan, thought Conrad.

In less than ten seconds, Lyn's group had already finished the two bandits, without any scratches. Even so, after fighting and travelling all day, they were a bit tired.

"So, how about we rest a bit inside those fortresses?" Sain said what they all were thinking.

"I would like to, but..." Conrad replied hesitantly. "If we waste any time, we might lose our distinct advantage, 'cause the element of surprise would be gone. We can rest AFTER we take care of them."

The others recognized the importance of speed in this mission, and so they agreed without further ado.

"Kent, I suspect that there might still be some bandits around this area. You go to those woods, and kill them if possible. Sain, sheathe your sword, and brandish your lance. It would be more effective against the cracked wall. Charge inside if you're finished and he's not. Lyn, prepare to charge inside at the moment Sain is done with the wall. I'll go with you, in case anything happens."

Conrad was seeing Kent riding towards the woods when he realized that his suspicion was correct. He saw two bandits running down the mountain beyond the woods. Apparently, Kent had also noticed this, as he quickly rushd to the woods.

Then he turned his sight, and his gaze fell to Sain and Lyn. Sain was striking a seemingly-fragile wall with his lance, working hard with every blow. With each blows passing, the wall began to crack even more. Noticing this, Conrad walked towards Lyn, and stood besides her.

In a minute, the wall crumbled with a terrifying sound, and with one last stroke, Sain made a large hole in it, forming an entrance. Conrad then ordered to charge, and with his last sight, he saw Kent riding towards them, two bandit corpses lay near the woods. And then, Conrad ran into the temple to join his groupmates

~vVv~

Inside, he saw a bandit corpse on the floor, with a wound on his shoulder. Apparently, the bandit was stabbed by a spear, presumably Sain's. 'Wow', Conrad thought, because he came in only a few seconds after Sain. 'I never thought that a surprise attack could do this much..', he thought, considering that lances are not very effective against axes, and also that a bandit's stamina is considerably high.

Conrad examined his surroundings. The temple was even more beautiful here inside. Its majestic windows were coloured artistically, the drawings looked beautiful. The fire which came out from a dragon's mouth seemed so real that he could feel the heat. And, he also noticed that the pictures were so detailed – it seemed that no detail wass missing – which made him able to imagine himself on the battlefield, his human comrades besides him, and ferocious dragons of all sorts charging towards him. It was a great art, even for Etrurian standards, he thought.

After he finished enoying the art, Conrad looked around, looking for Lyn and Sain. After a while, he spotted them standing in front of the altar itself. On a throne behind the altar, sat a man with a broadsword. The mercenary looked upon the intruders lazily with a smirk on his face.

At that time, Kent arrived. When he noticed that the villain was wielding a sword, he sheathed his own and brandished his lance. Conrad nodded to him in agreement, while Lyn unsheathed her sword. Sain was already prepared with his beloved spear held tight in his hand.

Lyn shouted angrily to the bandit, "Hey, you! What on earth are you planning to do to the Mani Katti?"

The bandit smirked mockingly. "The Mani Katti is a special sword. It was made for a swordsman of my skill, don't you think? And also, what good's a sword if you don't use it? But alas, it stucked in its scabbard.."

"Who are you to think that you can wield the Sword of Spirits? Every word you said was a mockery to the Holy Spirits! Prepare yourself!" Lyn replied.

"Fool.. You think you can match me? I am Glass! The gods fear my name! Meet your death, girl!"

Lyn dashed and swinged her sword with an incredible speed, but Glass was able to dodge quite easily, and he counterattacked Lyn. Luckily, Lyn was able to block. Lyn jumped backwards, only to dash again. This time, the mercenary also dashed towards Lyn. They swords met with a loud voice, which echoed across the altar. And, they engaged in a lightning-speed sword duel.

Unfortunately, the noise was heard by the bandit guarding the main gate, and so he ran into the temple. With a loud roar, he charged upon the two knights, who was able to block using their swords (as the knights had already noticed the bandit and unsheathed them). In five seconds, the bandit was already finished, his blood spilled all over the floor. The knights re-sheathed their swords and drew their lances (again).

At that time, Lyn was still duelling Glass, as he was also a skilled swordfighter. But with each blows, Lyn was gaining the upper hand. Her strokes became faster and faster, while Glass counterattacked less often.

~vVv~

Conrad saw that Glass was desperated. His sword's movement was getting slower and slower, and he was barely able to protect his life, but he didn't have the chance to counterattack, due to Lyn's incredible speed.

Suddenly, Glass stepped back to the throne. Not giving him time to rest, Lyn dashed towards the swordsman, who prepared his sword again. When Lyn was already nearing the throne, Conrad saw an evil glint in the enemy's eyes, and he shouted, "Look out, Lyn!"

Lyn was only a few steps away from Glass when the mercenary stood in an attacking stance, which made her block at once. But, instead of attacking, the mercenary touched his own shoulder using his sword three times.

The swordsman's strange skill made Lyn's block useless. But a second before Lyn dashed again, the mercenary attacked. He jumped high to the air before striking down, like a falcon catching its prey, with his full speed.

This attack caught Lyn unprepared, and it struck her left arm, leaving a huge gash. Lyn dropped her sword, and she moaned in pain, while her right hand held her left. The rest of the team was shocked.

Glass took the opportunity to attack. He swinged his sword towards Lyn's throat and.. A lance blocked the stroke. Glass looked up, and he saw a blood-red armored knight. It was Kent.

~vVv~

Realizing the danger, Kent charged towards Glass, who was going to kill Lyn. He arrived just in time to block the mercenary's attack. Then, he took Lyn on to his horse, and rode a few steps back, giving Lyn the time to treat her wound. She put a vulnerary on her wound (even though the wound stings), and after a few seconds, the wound was healed.

Seeing that, the mercenary attacked Conrad (who was still shocked), but was stopped by Sain. Somehow, Sain's eyes were as if someone lit a flame in it. Yes, Sain was angry.

~vVv~

Conrad was healed from his shock when he heard sounds of metals clashing. Not far from him, he saw Sain clenching his hand, with an angry look on his face. It was, honestly, terrifying. The next seond, Conrad was deafed by a loud shout, which, apparently, was Sain's.

"You! How dare you hurt my angel? DIE!" he shouted at the enemy.

Conrad saw Sain spinning his lance high atop his head. Then, Sain struck Glass with a hard blow, which killed the mercenary instantly.

"You.. you.. The Mani Katti... should be.. mine" were his last words. After he said that, he fell to the ground, his life robbed from him.

Kent and Sain rode out for a moment to check the area. Apparently, all the bandits nearby has been slain or fled, and so after a while, they returned in. At that time, a door in the temple opened, and an old priest walked out and thanked them.

Conrad wondered why the mercenary hadn't used the Mani Katti, and the priest explained that he had put a spell on the sword, and that the sword couldn't be drawn unless the spell was gone.

After a while, the priest examined them, and when he looked at Lyn, he asked, "Ah, your clothing... Are you of the Lorca tribe?"

"Um... yes, sire..." she replied.

Conrad was sure that he saw a glint in the priest's eyes before the old man said, "Ah, I see.. Now, as a token of my thanks, you may touch the Mani Katti's hilt."

As Lyn approached the sword, Conrad felt something strange. The area was so silent, but he could hear a faint sound in the wind. It was a song. He focused to hear the song better, and he realized that it was sung in the ancient Sacaean dialect, and that the words carried power just like magic incantations. The voice was soft, yet sweet.. But it was also strong, and powerful at the same time.. Conrad thought of an explanation, and he had a hunch: the spirits were singing. Then, he saw Lyn touch the hilt of the Mani Katti.

The music became louder, that even Sain and Kent was able to hear it. And suddenly, a white light shone from the Mani Katti, so bright that we were forced to blink. Lyn and the priest were also surprised by the music and light.

Lyn said, "A light.. Emerges from the Mani Katti. Why?"

"It's the spirits.. they have judged your soul, and they have called for you." Replied the priest. "They have chosen you as the wielder of the Mani Katti – The Sword of Spirits."

"Wha...? How could that be?" asked a confused Lyn.

"If you need proof, then try to draw the sword from its scabbard."

Lyn tried, and surprisingly, th blade came out easily, with a fainter light. Lyn told that to the priest, and the old man blessed her and her journey. Then, at last, we're going to continue our journey.

Outside, the sky was beginning to turn orange, although the sun was still high on the sky. We chattered happily about the Mani Katti along the road. At first, Lyn was not able to receive the fact that she was the chosen, as she thought that she wasn't special. But after a wise statement from Sain (which was very rare, Conrad thought), Lyn was able to bear it.

Later that day, as we were setting our camp, Lyn tried to slice a stone, and later, a huge tree for firewood. Both were cut easily in one blow, and the Mani Katti wasn't even scratched.

As the stars were beginning to shine high on the dark blue sky, Conrad lied down near the campfire, thinking of the days to come, and also the questions from the morning swirled again in his mind. He was asleep in no time, and then, at last, the group was lulled to sleep by the sweet cool breeze of the Sacae Plains.

~Chapter End~

Whew.. At last, another one finished. I know it's been a long time, but I've been busy with my school, you know.. Here's a bit of info:

The leader of Conrad's former mates is a general (as he was a war veteran – his name is not considered yet, please give me some ideas). He and Velina will appear later in the story.

Now.. As usual, review please..


	5. Chapter 4: The Lyndis' Legion

Chapter 4: The Lyndis' Legion

Yeah, I'm back! And the 4th chapter is here, too! I'm sorry for the delay, though… I have no excuse for that. My greatest obstacle, called the Writer's Block and Laziness have put me so far from my fanfic documents… Anyways, let's get back to the fic. As I have mentioned in the previous chapter, I still need some good names for Conrad's mercenary group's leader... I wish to gather all the ideas, and then I'll select the best idea. For SunLord89, thanks for your idea!

Antismurf Lord of Darkness: Thanks for your review and advice!

Yuuki: Okay… That's all right (I think)

" " = dialogues

' ' = thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

**Chapter 4: The Lyndis' Legion**

"According to the map, there should be a village here somewhere…." Conrad said as the group was walking along the road to the southwest.

"I believe we're already near. It might be lying right beyond those hills!" Kent replied, his I-know-it-all voice ringing in Conrad's ear.

Conrad said nothing and nodded, observing their surroundings. They were nearing the borders of Lycia and Bern, as he noticed that they were leaving the plains. Instead, there were many trees there; trees which were so green and fair. He also saw the mountains to the north – known as the Taliver Mountains, home to the vicious Taliver bandits. The mountains towered unto the sky, the summit was covered with snow, as an eternal winter rages there. Its lower parts were blue, descending until it turned green. From it slopes a river, its water melted from the glaciers high atop the mountains, flowed down towards them. In contrast to the thought of bandits, the mountain seemed so strong, beautiful, and – tranquil.

Near the mountains was a group of hills, which prevented travelers to see what lies beyond it. They were green, with many trees and beautiful wild flowers, as if they were the gardens of paradise. As they ascended the road towards the hills, the four noticed a difference. The road was cleaner, and new. It was clear that they were nearing some settlements. But, as they strode through the woods atop the hills, they became troubled as they began to feel that somehow – the area seemed to be deserted.

There weren't any new trace of wheels, nor of horses. Conrad examined the road for a moment and said what was in all their minds, "What happened here? It's as if there aren't any humans living here at all…" then he became silent when a terrible thought crossed his mind. He sped up towards the end of the woods, and…

He saw the ruins of a village. It was destroyed, no… razed to the ground. There were no signs of life, as all houses were forsaken. As they walked towards the center of the village, they realized that the road was red – it was covered by the dry blood of the slaughtered villagers. But strangely, there wasn't any single body, except for a rotten carcass of a dog near them beside the road. The group sped up, all of its members eager to find the truth behind this slaughter.

All of them were shocked at the sight of the village center. There was – a great mound in the middle. As they came nearer, they saw what it consisted of and gasped... It was made from the corpses of the village's residents. Their corpses were piled so that it towered unto the sky, a huge tower of dread. Crows were flying all around the tower of carcasses. Atop the mound they saw the village's magistrate. His stomach was pierced by a post, and there it was written: "Such is the reward of those who defy us, the greatest bandits ever! Tremble, and bow to us! – Feargore, Lord of the Taliver Bandits."

The shock was such that the group couldn't do anything but stare for a while. A short moment after, Lyn said angrily, "Those bandits... They did the same thing to my tribe six months ago. And now.. this. I have to slay them!"

The other three looked at each other, before Kent said, "We all feel the same way, milady. But.. right now, we don't have enough force. And also, your grandfather is ill and Lord Lundgren is about to take the throne…"

Lyn's expression turned into a deep sadness. "Still…" she said, "These people need to be avenged. Grandfather… I cannot decide!" she was almost frustrated.

"Lyn... Just put it like this." Conrad replied. "We can save your grandfather first. That way, we could finish our most important matter first. After that, we would have the might of Caelin behind us in our campaign against the bandits."

Lyn thought for a second and nodded. There was truth in the tactician's words. Then suddenly, she heard some noises. There were raising voices of men, and also the neighing of a horse. The others heard this also, and they nodded in agreement before they strode to the source of the voices.

~vVv~

Behind the village's walls, they spotted two men, presumably brigands, and… a lavender haired Pegasus Rider. As the group was getting nearer, Lyn's eyes suddenly shone with recognition, and she dashed towards the little commotion, forcing Conrad and friends to run also. Lyn was shouting a name Conrad didn't hear clearly, as the knights' horses were running, thus causing their hooves to make loud sounds. Fortunately, as they were nearing the Pegasus Knight, Lyn's paces slowed down. And finally, Conrad was able hear the name she was shouting.

"Florina! Florina! Is that you!" Lyn shouted all along the way. The lavender haired Pegasus Knight looked towards them, and her eyes got brighter. One detail Conrad noticed was that some dried tears were on her face, and her eyes were a bit red, showing that she had just been crying.

"Lyn!" the Pegasus Knight, apparently the one named Florina answered. "What are you doing here?" Okay, so these two know each other, Conrad thought. The two girls exchanged greetings and explained each other's experience, when suddenly they were stopped by a loud shout of irritation.

"Hey, don't forget us!" the smaller of the other two men shouted. "She landed on my friend, and now she has to pay!" Upon hearing the shout, Florina's eyes, once more, was filled with tears. She looked as if she was ready to cry out loud.

On the other hand, the shouting didn't make Lyn cool down. Far from it. Her eyes were suddenly filled with anger, burning hot as he saw these brigands. For her, all bandits are the same. Murderers, who slaughtered her tribe, committer of countless crimes, people who didn't have any goodness in them.

"She said she was sorry!" Lyn yelled at them. "Don't you see? She really meant it!" Conrad could see that she cared very much for her friend, almost like a girl's feeling towards her younger sister.

They continued yelling at each other for another five minutes, before the bandits decided to use force rather than their so-called 'diplomacy'. The two bandits ran away to the farthest end behind the razed village, and let their friends come in between the two parties. A battle was about to begin.

~vVv~

Conrad observed his surroundings. There were two other villages towards the north, and a wall was between them. To the west was a mountain range, while to the east was a way to pass the walls. The opening was filled with some trees. Then he thought for another minute, and then shouted his orders.

"Kent! Sain! Finish the enemy archer over there, and then hold the pass!" shouted Conrad. "Florina! Stay away until the archer is finished, then warn the village to the far north! We must not let the bandits cause any more destruction..." then his gaze fell upon Lyn.

Lyn understood what he was thinking. Without further words, she ran towards the nearest village to warn the residents. But, she would also find something which was not expected..

~vVv~

"Hello! Is anyone there?" Lyn shouted. But, instead of an answer, she found an arrow speeding up towards her neck. She dodged just in the nick of time, and the arrow embedded itself in the palisade surrounding that village. The next moment, she heard a loud shout.

"Go away! We don't have any more money!" a male voice shouted.

Lyn realized that the residents thought she was a bandit, so she shouted again, explaining about why she was there, and that the bandits were going to attack there. The villagers were satisfied with her explanation, and shot no more arrows. A young man (apparently the villager who shot the first arrow) even joined their little group against the bandits! 

The man's name was Will. He came from the distant Pherae in the country of Lycia. He was just passing the area, but unfortunately, his money was stolen. Then, the villagers helped him and took him in. Thus, he felt a great deal of gratitude and decided to help them to fend the bandits' attack. Lyn could see that he was good-natured and talkative, as he was always smiling, even as they ran towards what would be a bloody fight.

~vVv~

Kent was standing beside his companion Sain, who was busy dueling a swordsman. He looked around the woods he was in, searching for anything that could be used for their advantage. His eyes noticed a shining object flying, and he raised his shield just in time to block another arrow. Then, he saw a brigand blocking the way between him and the enemy archer.

He silently swore under his breath, as he deflected a blow from his newfound enemy. The bandits, it seemed, still had another archer in reserve... The first archer they killed was, apparently, a new recruit, so it was easy to take care of him. But, now he was facing battle-hardened warriors, who had a lot more experience than anyone in their group.

Kent slashed towards his enemy's head, only to find his sword deflected by the bandit's axe. He moved back just in time to avoid an arrow aimed at his throat. He grunted and charged at the axeman, forcing the bandit to stumble back a few steps... The next second, Kent's sword sunk deeply into his stomach. But, there were more bandits coming. As he saw another pair of brigand charging towards him, he heard the sound of an arrow.

One of the bandits shouted as he found an arrow embedding itself in his neck. The other was shocked, and that left him open to any attacks, an opportunity Kent would not miss. He sliced off his enemy's head cleanly, while Sain was charging towards the unfortunate enemy archer.

Kent turned to see his savior. He saw Lyn, the Mani Katti shining in her grip, and a cheery-looking archer walking towards them. He instantly took a liking to the archer, who looked very friendly. Lyn waved towards him, and Kent replied with a smile. Then, he walked towards the archer, and they shook each other's hand.

"I'm Kent. Nice to meet you," Kent said. The archer introduced himself to Kent and also Sain, who had already finished the remaining enemies in the area.

However, their job wasn't done yet. They saw more bandits coming, axe at hand. Their eyes shone with rage for the death of their comrades… The axemen charged forward, roaring as loud as they could. The group met the charge head on, replying with their own shouts.

~vVv~

Meanwhile, Conrad saw Florina flying nearby, and he called to her. She shyly reported that there were a small village to the north, and a weapon shop hidden in a group of trees nearby. Yet the bandits were advancing towards the village, seemingly intent to destroy it. Then, he asked Florina to take him to the village.

She refused at first, but after a minute or so of encouragement and kind words, she agreed. They flew towards the village and warned the villagers that the bandits were coming. It seemed that they arrived just in time, as the bandits' loud shouts were heard clearly by the villagers.

As a token of thanks, a woman gave them some gold – not much, but sufficient to afford some new weapons, perhaps – Conrad thought. Then the villagers closed their village gates, and the village militia manned the walls.

Florina prepared to take off, but a swordsman was nearing them. In order to fly successfully, a Pegasus needs to run for a certain distance before taking off. In order to save themselves from the bandits and also fly, Florina ordered her Pegasus Huey to charge towards the swordsman.

The swordsman dodged in surprise, and Huey took off successfully. The bandit stared at the flying Pegasus, not sure of what had happened… and several arrows from the village hit him. He shouted in agony for one last time, before his eyes rolled up and he fell dead.

Florina flew successfully, away from the bloodthirsty bandits. But suddenly they were met with a barrage of arrows, forcing Huey to dodge. Yet the arrows just kept coming, and made Huey lost his balance. Therefore, they were forced to make an emergency landing.

Huey flew down, struggling to balance itself. When they landed, however, Conrad saw that they were in a very dangerous situation. Florina was also looking around, fear on her eyes. Apparently, they had landed near a group of bandits.

They were quickly surrounded. The bandits snickered, and some of them smiled mockingly as their lustful eyes gazed across Florina, while some others thought about the money that her Pegasus could make.

But it seemed that it was not their fate to die yet, for suddenly Kent rode towards the group, sword at hand. The bandits were caught by surprise, and so they ran towards the mountains in an attempt to regroup.

Unfortunately, things weren't going as they planned. When the bandits were passing the woods, suddenly they were ambushed by Lyn , Sain and Wil. Many of the bandits were slain in the initial assault, while the rest of them, seeing that their numbers were decreasing, fought desperately. Yet, they were no match for the group.

~vVv~

Lyn dashed and slashed at a bandit, tearing the brigand into two. Near her were the two Caelin knights, trampling several bandits beneath their horses' hooves. A bandit was very busy deflecting Kent's sword slashes that he didn't hear the sound of flying arrows. And so, several arrows embedded themselves to the poor bandit's neck, killing him instantly. More bandits came, but they were no match for Lyn and the knights. The fight was going in their favor…

Conrad was brought back from his thoughts as he dodged an arrow which flew dangerously close to his neck. The archer readied another arrow and shot right before he was killed by Sain. Conrad dodged the arrow with little difficulty, and examined the battlefield.

There were still some bandits, but they were rather frightened and demoralized. There were no more enemy archers, as far as their eyes could see. Lyn moved forward, intent to kill the remaining foes, but Conrad stopped her, saying "Even though they are bandits, they deserve some mercy. True, the Talivers are evil, and I won't prevent you from slaughtering them. But," at this point, he gazed at the bandits, "They might not be the Talivers. It is possible that life forced them to become bandits. Won't you give them a second chance?"

Lyn thought for a moment, and then shouted towards the bandits, "I want to speak with your leader!"

The bandits whispered amongst themselves, seemingly unsure, until a loud – very loud – roar beamed. From the behind of the bandits came a lone figure, his well-built feature dwarfing even those of the muscled bandits.

"There will be no talks!" he shouted. "You have killed our brothers, and we will have our revenge!" With the words said, he took a step forward. Then another.

"Wait!" shouted Lyn. "I want to ask you something. Are you… Taliver bandits?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Migal's laughter echoed across the plains. "We are nothing like those bloodthirsty demons. We don't kill women and children, for one. After all, why kill something you can sell? We…" he was about to say some more words, but Lyn's shout cut them.

"Then there is no need for you to die here… If you would tuck your tails and flee, we will…" Lyn stopped mid-sentence as a hand axe nearly sliced her in half. She dodged the axe gracefully, and stared at the bandit leader, who was boiling with anger.

"You insolent… DIE!" Migal dashed forward, an amazing speed, considering his huge body and the massive steel axe he used as a weapon.

"I don't want anyone to interfere! I will slay this brute with my own hands…" brandishing the Mani Katti, Lyn also dashed to meet the challenge head-on.

Lyn and Migal crossed weapons. Lyn was thrown back by the bandit's strength, but she landed with little difficulty. Realizing the difference in their strength, Lyn used swiftness and skill, dodging Migal's attacks and scratching him, a bit here, a bit there. The rest of the fighters only watched in awe, witnessing the two's skill and strength.

Their bodies merged, only a hair apart, and then the momentum brought them farther from each other. Lyn spinned, Migal blocked. Their weapons flowed with ease, a testimony to their mastery of battle.

Yet Lyn was gaining the upper hand with each blows passing. Her movements became faster and faster, while Migal's were beginning to slow. But he fought with all his skill, and with a well-timed blow, he striked. Lyn was forced to jump backwards. She rolled and landed, and now that they were apart, the duelists examined their enemy.

Lyn was bruised in some parts of her body, and she had received a blow to her left arm, which was hanging limply by her side. But Migal's wounds were much more severe. He had a deep gash on his torso where the Mani Katti had hit him, and he was barely able to stand.

But the two just stared at each other. A sudden silence fell upon the battlefield, as the two began to circle each other. Then, both of them stopped. All was still. Everyone held their breaths.

A second passed.

Two seconds.

Three.

And with a loud roar, Migal dashed and swung his heavy Steel Axe with all his might. As Migal was nearing her, with her own battle cry Lyn dodged. Then suddenly her movements became so fast that the audiences' visions blurred. In a split second, Lyn was already behind Migal, and she swung the Mani Katti towards Migal's neck.

Then time seemed to stop, and everyone could only watch as the severed head of Migal rolled upwards, and his headless body slowly falling to the dirt. Dusts flew as the body hit the ground.

A second later, Lyn's group cheered. And they charged, routing and killing the utterly demoralized bandits. All bandits were slain, except for a few who were spared under the oath never to do bad things again.

The group decided to stay for the night in a nearby village. They were received warmly, despite Sain's attitude, and the villagers gave them supplies for free out of gratitude.

Later that day, Conrad was standing alone on a hill. He gazed towards the settling sun, bright and orange in all of its majesty. He was deep in thought, thinking about his past – and the journey he had embarked on since then. He stayed for a long time, until Lyn came. They enjoyed the view for some time, chatting happily, and went back to the village to turn in for the night.

~Chapter End~

Author's note: Whew… finally! XD I finished it! Sorry for the long wait… Hope this is good enough for you all… As usual, reviews and critics are accepted warmly… Ideas for OC name is appreciated (class: General, scars all over body type). Anyways, there's no need for further ramblings… Have to work on the next chapter! Goodbye, my good readers… and thanks for reading! :D


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